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I am not sure what is in the default install, but I think that you get something like the add/remove Windows components screen if you select custom install.

I can't comment on recent versions of the server because I have never thought to look, and I have never had to do a clean install of one since 2000server.

I would mention that over here in the EU, MS cannot default media player in their installations.......... it is contrary to EU law

If you cannot do someone any good: don't do them any harm....
As long as you did this to one of these, the least of my little ones............you did it unto Me.
What profiteth a man if he gains the entire World at the expense of his immortal soul?

Yup, I remember when they got in trouble over that. As much as I thought it was funny I was a little weirded out they did it over MEdia Player which I don't mind as much when I'm installing Windows XP where I'm going to want it at first two rip CDs or whatever or make a playlist until I download something, I more or less think they should do it with IE. I mean if they at least gave you an option... And I don't mean a light version or a stripped one; I mean Windows XP should have the option NOT to install Messenger, OutlookExpress, and some of the other stuff where all you can do is remove it from the start menu.

I recall a while back when we had a BSE problem over here (Bovine Spongeform Encephalitis) a.k.a. "Mad Cow Disease"

This spoof went round that OE was incapable of spreading this virus...........

Bill Gates promised that this functionality defect would be rectified within the next 48 hours...............

If you cannot do someone any good: don't do them any harm....
As long as you did this to one of these, the least of my little ones............you did it unto Me.
What profiteth a man if he gains the entire World at the expense of his immortal soul?

By a decent gateway - I have a decent NAT enabled router - do I still need a firewall?

Your router/gateway is your first line of defense, as it should be. Do
you still need a firewall app like ZA? No easy answer to that one. It's
all relative.

Laptops need a local (software) firewall. Treat all wireless networks
as hostile environments unless nailed down (PC's authenticate against
a Radius/AD server and the WAP's WPA-encrypted).

In contrast, a desktop run on a hard-wired only LAN, behind a gateway/
router, doesn't run nearly the same risk. On that kind of network, a
software firewall might help limit a virus outbreak if you're not patched,
but it's not necessary. The last time I was running ZA or Comodo, the
overhead (system load) was a bit much in my book and was glad to move
that function to another device.

In defense of apps like ZA, I did learn a lot from the app about what the
computer was doing at any given time and port behavior on a local machine.